Finding Faith

  No Perfect Runs (Introduction)  Welcome Race Fans!  Our first series together entitled “No perfect Runs”, introduces us to the truth that no one is perfect.  I think that most people would have no problem agreeing with that assessment.  However, there are ramifications that must be dealt with related to this uncomfortable fact.   This series will deal with those ramifications and the solution to them.  As you read, please stay with me to the end.  In each devotional, I try to be very honest and straightforward about topics such as sin, death, heaven, and hell.  Believe me, I want only to introduce you to good news.  However, to understand the good news we must deal with the bad news first.   Hang in there with me.  The good news will always be just a paragraph away.  If you are interested in further study, I have scattered some additional links throughout the series.   Let’s get our race started! Dean

  No Perfect Run (part 1) Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God If bracket racing required perfect runs, I doubt many would stay in it long.  Trip zip, dead zero is impressive, but thankfully you can get to the winner’s circle without it.    Not so with Heaven.  Did you know Heaven requires perfection?  “ And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth” (Revelation 21:27).  That’s a problem because we all sin (Romans 3:23). No one can make perfect runs all time, no one can live sinlessly all the time.  And it’s not just the “big” sins … a single lie, loss of temper, glance of lust disqualifies us from heaven forever.  Whether you miss the tree by a thou or take the stripe dead one, close to perfect is NOT perfect.   It gets worse, and I must be straightforward here.  To miss heaven, means to spend forever in torment.  The wages of sin is...

  No Perfect Runs (Part 2) Romans 6:23 – The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   No other sport is like bracket racing.  How many times have we seen a competitor wait on the starting line for his or her opponent to make a quick repair or get a jump start.  I can name no other competitive endeavor where one side gambles away a guaranteed win in the name of sportsmanship.  I love bracket racing! Let’s take this illustration a step further.  My fuel pump dies in the water box.  By extension my engine is dead, my car is dead.  However my opponent refuses to stage till I can connect a new pump, that’s mercy!  But imagine my opponent takes the fuel pump out of his car and puts it in mine.  My car becomes “alive” as a direct result of his/her car’s “death”, that’s grace!  The wages of sin is death (see previous devotional).  My “heart”, the inner me, is sinful.  The ou...

  No Perfect Runs (Part 3) Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Bracket Racing!  Anyone can win on any given day. What is a soundbite in other sports, is the actual design of ours.  Anyone, any day! That’s the draw, that’s the appeal. Whosoever stages has a chance.   However, whosoever calls on Jesus doesn’t just have a chance at salvation, but SHALL receive salvation.  Jesus died.  In three days, He revived and in forty days ascended to Heaven. We have to deal with that. If He rose from the dead, then He must be who He said He is … the son of God.  And if the son of God, He is Lord as well.   If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10).  It is a gift. He knows you. He loves you. He hears you . How?  I have no idea.  He is God and beyond my comprehension.  But if you speak ...

  No perfect runs (part 4) 1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. I attempted to talk my son-in-law Andy into bracket racing. He asked the usual questions “what is it?”  “How do you do it?” “Well Andy, do a perfect burnout, stage perfectly, react perfectly, shift perfectly, run dead on, and never drop a spot of fluid on the track.  Do these eight or nine times an event and go to the winner’s circle.   C’mon Andy, you really need to try bracket racing”.   Yeah right.  Provided our friends and family even understand the vocabulary, how many of them would drop all other pursuits, invest their time and treasure, and surrender themselves to the bracket racing life.  I think we can safely say zero.   None of us would describe bracket racing this way and of course I didn’t either.  Sure, we pursue the perfect run (holders and spot-droppers notwithstan...

  Called to the Staging Lanes part 1 Acts 8:36-37 -  See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?   And Philip  said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. “No Box to 5 and 6”.  “Blue run stickers to 3 and 4”. Miss this call and your race never gets started.  In the race we call the Christian life, there is a call to the lanes, a staging area, a place to start.  It’s called baptism.  You have put your faith in Jesus, accepted Him as Lord of your life.  What is the first thing He wants you to do? Get to the lanes for your race! “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). We will discuss the meaning of baptism in the next couple of devotionals. For now, consider this important step.  How does it work?  Speak to a trusted Christian friend for recommendations for a good church.  Speak to the pastor about the chu...

  Called to the Staging Lanes part 2 Acts 2:41 - Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: Imagine you are in the finals of the The OG Million, arguably the most prestigious race in our sport.  Adrenaline is coursing, every sense alert,  focus razor sharp.  You let go knowing you are double 0, you rip a couple times at the finish line taking double 0, and your win light comes on!  You just won The Million!  You turn onto the return road, pull up to the ticket booth  to find your winning ticket taped to the  window.  Weird, but you're not concerned, you just won The Million! You continue into the pits, dodging motorhomes  heading for the exits. You arrive at your pit just as the track lights go off, faintly hearing the announcer  through the lexan, “good night all, see you next year”.   You open your door as the only remaining official slows his truck to give you a check through the window on his way to the ...

  Called to the Staging Lanes part 3  Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Event staff have the coolest shirts.  Brightly colored, well designed, and comfort fitted.  The shirts stand out in a crowd. This is intentional to identify the staff, promote the event, and add to the pageantry.  At any big event you will find a truck selling event apparel.  Right now as I write this, I am wearing a The Million VIP club T-shirt.  We proudly wear, carry, and/or display “merch” that in effect says, “I was at that event” or “I identify with that racer, that car, that team”.   We discussed one meaning of baptism…celebration.  A second meaning of baptism is identification.  Baptism says “I identify with Jesus”.  It is a public profession that we are not only unashamed of our faith in Jesus, but indeed proud to identify with Jesus. It is not a boastful profession, but a profession of grat...

  Called to the staging lanes part 4 Romans 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Is there any publication more crowded with information than an event flyer?  Schedule, location, entry fee, payout, special prizes, sponsors, deadlines, and rules in a 8.5 by 11 glossy with more colors than a crayon box. We anxiously await them every spring and pour over them with anticipation for the coming season.   Baptism is not only a celebration and identification, but also a proclamation.  It is a visual proclamation of the means of our salvation.  Jesus died in my place, was buried in a tomb, and in three days rose again!  Baptism likewise visually displays these acts.  In the baptismal waters you stand representing Jesus.  As you are guided beneath the water, you are representing his burial. Finally, as yo...

  Heat Those Tires 1 Mark 9:24 - And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Do you remember the days of the funny car dry hop?  What a great show!  Eventually, the practice made its way to the sportsman series when the technology was not as it is today.  Before multiple compound tires, computerized clutch assessment, and the variety of surface prep materials, drivers did not always trust the burnout to make the tires stick.  The dry hop gave that extra bit of assurance.  The issue was doubt.  We know now that the dry hop can actually take heat out of the tires and make them less adhesive.  The doubt about the traction was actually leading to loss of traction. And loss of traction makes for a joyless pass and frustrating race.  Doubt  will cause loss of traction in our Christian race as well. It is very common for new believers to have doubts after their salvation ex...

  Heat Those Tires 2 Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. My dad and I would spend the week trying new combinations or replacing parts, and I would always ask, “do you want me to take it easy on this first pass?”  His answer was always the same  “drive it like you're gonna race it”.  That was all I needed to hear.  With that echoing in my ear, I would pull in the beams with complete confidence.  It was either going to work, or dad was going to make it work.  Either way, Dad had spoken, and that was final.   Last time we spoke about the very real issue of doubt.  It can raise its head in a number of places in our Christian race, but in particular at the front end.  If our enemy can start us down the lanes with doubt, he can keep us from the joy that should come from our relationship with God.  How do we battle the doubt?  Hearing God’s word!  Faith comes from hearing the word ...

  Heat Those Tires 3 2 Timothy 3:14   But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; Can you imagine saying, “I did a burnout before my first pass, I don’t need to do anymore today”?  Of course not!   Slicks grow cold.  The track deteriorates.  At best we spin; at worst we introduce ourselves to the wall.  Either way, it’s a bad race day.  The way to defeat doubts and continue moving forward in our Christian race is time spent daily with God.  This is best done with a dedicated time of Bible reading and prayer.  As you well know, there is a dedicated time to do the burnout.  Yes, we want to get to the beams, yes we want to concentrate on the light, yes we want the thrill of the pass.  But none of that will be enjoyable if we skip the burnout.  Similarly, many new (and old) believers allow themselves to get distracted by the daily rush at the expen...

  Heat Those Tires 4 Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together Mentors are important.  If you haven’t, check out our racer story page.  Each will mention mentors that helped them in both their drag racing and their spiritual race. Our western culture celebrates independence and makes heroes of the “lone wolf”.  While these make good movies, it is not God’s intended program.   We have stated the Biblical principle that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  We have discussed the importance of spending time meditating on God’s word from the Bible.  An additional vital resource is the teaching we can receive from spiritual mentors at a local church.   At your local church, you can  find Sunday School classes for children and adults, as well as small group Bible studies that will lead you to greater traction.  Pas...